The towing segment of the automotive industry is about to heat up in the US, as Ford, one of the most important players in this segment, will start the production of the upgraded Ford F-Series Super Duty.

The main modification brought to the truck line is the increase in towing capacity compared to the trucks’ competitors. The 17,500 pounds of towing capacity achieved by the Ford F-350 and F-450 Super Duty (an increase of 1,500 pounds over the previous generation) is 1,000 pounds more than the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 4×2 and 500 pounds more than the Silverado and Sierra 4×4. Meaning, for short, that the Super Duty offers best-in-class towing capacity.

“Super Duty stays on top because of our ongoing engineering work and analysis of extensive field data,” said Rob Stevens, chief engineer of the 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty. “We keep pushing to deliver the best-in-class attributes our customers demand.”

The model also received higher-strength steel in a frame crossmember and an upgraded trailer hitch. The engine (6.7l Power Stroke V8 diesel) has also been tuned to achieve higher performance levels and a lower fuel consumption.

The arrival of the new models onto the market couldn’t have come to a better time. Ford is back at the top, with the market share of the model now being at its highest in the last decade. Customer satisfaction is also at high levels, with 83 percent of the customers being happy with their choice (compared to 77 percent for the Ram and 73 percent for the Chevrolet).